From the earliest records that humans kept on cave walls and papyrus scrolls up to the very moment you encounter this, all reasonable people have agreed, to a person, that there’s nothing cuter than a fluffy puppy. What no one can agree on is which dog breed is the cutest and fluffiest, though I can tell you that it is a close and hotly contested race between Pomeranians and Chow Chow puppies. The debate is so contentious and so divisive, the long-defunct League of Nations had to come out of retirement to adopt a non-binding resolution, putting the important discussion aside.

Like this bib-wearing Chow Chow puppy wedged between the front seats of the car, we’re stuck as far as an official position. The resolution states that “It is the determination of this body that Chow Chow puppies and Pomeranian puppies are each insanely cute and fluff-tastic. It is well understood that the international community has eagerly awaited a final and conclusive decision on which kind of puppy best exhibits an ideal degree of fluffiness. However, any further adjudication on this body’s part with regard to this matter is to be put in abeyance for no less a period than 10 years.”

Since the debate is no longer on the table, and since I’m not qualified to decide, I chose to focus on bringing you the fluffiest Chow Chow puppies I could find. The above puppy was excited at first to hear whether Chow Chows had been chosen, but as the thousand-page non-binding resolution was read out in full on all of the major news channels, he started to lose interest and fell asleep in the doorway.

One thing is certain — it is almost impossible to fit three Chow Chow puppies into a single image. It’s almost like a Chow Chow accordion. Don’t you feel a sudden urge to take all three Chow Chow puppies into your arms and squeeze them? I have been resisting the impulse to hug my computer screen all day.

Sometimes, of course, depending on how close the camera is, one frame can be too small to contain all the fluffiness of even one Chow Chow puppy, much less a trio. This is our friend Bacon. Bacon, like other Chow Chow puppies, enjoys nibbling a delicious treat from time to time. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring a proper dog treat, so Bacon went to town on the nearest flower.

Chow Chow puppies on tables!

Taking a couple of steps backward, we’ve finally managed to just squeeze one of our fluffiest Chow Chow puppies into frame, but only just! In ancient China, where Chow Chow puppies originated, people were just as preoccupied with the fullness of a Chow Chow’s fluff. I’ve seen scrolls and bas-reliefs dating back two thousand years that refer to the “Songshi Quan,” or “puffy lion-dog,” and the artists could barely fit an entire Chow Chow puppy into either medium. It’s clearly been a persistent problem with Chow Chow puppy pictures as long as they have existed.

Perhaps it’s just a matter of perspective. Ancient Chinese artists and contemporary digital photographers have long struggled with depicting the fluffiness of Chow Chow puppies. Just as it has proved impossible for a no-longer-extant world governing body to decide whether Chow Chow puppies or Pomeranian puppies are cutest, so too has capturing the essence of fluff of the Chow Chow been problematic.

It can be difficult for any of us to get the proper perspective, Chow Chow puppies most of all. With all that fluff, Chow Chow puppies have very poor peripheral vision. It’s recommended, even for puppy pictures, that one approach a Chow Chow puppy at a measured pace and always from the front so it knows you’re there.

At a bit more of a distance, even the most suspicious and circumspect of Chow Chow puppies will allow you to get close enough to pat all that fluff and capture a good picture. This tiny little Chow Chow puppy still seems a bit wary of all the attention. Let’s move back a little further for the next one and see if we can better appreciate the never-ending fluff festival that is the Chow Chow puppy.

Holding and petting Chow Chow puppies requires all the fluff to be not only in their eyes, but also potentially to cloud our own. Proper grooming for Chow Chows may necessitate the occasional haircut to expand their field of vision. By the same token, it may be that perching Chow Chow puppies on tables for photos is the best way to take it all in. Let’s go outside again and see if we can change our point of view.

Do you love Chow Chow puppies?

The problem with the League of Nations, aside from the fact it hasn’t existed in decades, is a lack of proper distance from the issue at hand. There is more than enough cuteness and fluffiness to go around, and we needn’t rush to say whether the Chow Chow or the Pomeranian should be definitively fluffiest.

People will always have their particular favorites. When we acquire sufficient perspective, even things that seem important enough to fill our whole field of vision to the exclusion of all else are really very small after all. Did you enjoy these Chow Chow puppies? Do you have a Chow Chow of your own? Let us know what you think in the comments!